2024 NHKA Banquet & Members Meeting

White Birch Hall
222 Central Street, Hudson, NH
November 16, 2024

RSVP by November 9
[email protected]

It is time to celebrate all of this season’s racers and champions and discuss the season to come. We will start the day at 1pm with the Annual Members Meeting where we’ll discuss changes to the weights and class names of the Briggs 206 Senior and Medium classes. We will also talk about tweaking the weights in TaG Senior and Masters in search of the ever-elusive dream of engine parody. If there are any other topics or suggestions for the 2025 season you consider important enough to delay a couple hundred people from their food, drinks, and trophies, you should absolutely bring them up during the meeting.

Dinner will be served at 2:00pm, followed by the trophy ceremony with a prize raffle throughout the day.

All members may attend with one guest at no charge, $25 for each additional guest. (We will contact you for any payment due.) The RSVP cutoff is November 9, which is a lot sooner than you think – especially when planning a banquet. So we could use your help by not delaying your reply. RSVP now by emailing your guest list to [email protected]

Start Your Engines!!!

Ready or not, this Saturday is the big NHKA Season Finale. The weather forecast isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad either. We will commit to Racing Track 2 clockwise with the chicane, even in wet conditions. (Scroll down two posts for photo of layout.) However, if on the off chance it rains all day, we may switch to Track 1 for safety. That’s not the plan, but merely an option. Keep an eye on Facebook for any late announcements.

Please remember to bring all your guests to the drivers meeting.

Friday Night
5-8pm Gate open. No entry after 8pm. No exceptions.
Wristband sales, kart safety inspection, trailer drop off, and camping.
Note: We cannot issue wristbands for anyone not there in person.

Saturday Morning
6:30am-12pm Gate open. All guests must arrive before noon.
8:15am Drivers meeting, mandatory for everyone on the property.
8:45am Kid Karts on track.
9:00am Practice by group.

2 Rounds of practice per group.
1 Qualifying session per group.
Lunch Break
18 lap races in the afternoon as timing permits.

Group Order
1 Kid Karts (Finished for the day at the lunch break.)
2 206 Cadet
3 206 Medium
4 206 Junior
5 TaG Senior/DD2
6 206 Masters
7 TaG Masters
8 World Formula Light/Heavy
9 206 Senior

See you all soon!!!!

Races to Watch at the 2024 NHKA Season Finale

It’s the moment of truth for our championship hopefuls – the 2024 NHKA Season Finale, October 16 at Canaan Motor Club. Before we talk points, we need to thank the man who makes the points happen race-after-race year-after-year: Jim Slade. Looking at Jim’s handiwork (which includes everyone’s provisional drop race), there’s a common theme across all classes: consistency. By and large, the podium hosted the same three drivers in most events. As a result, the top three championship drivers in every class are more or less locked in. In fact, most of the championships are clinched by all sensible measures. That’s not to say there aren’t a couple still up for grabs, plus pretty much every class has a heated battle for second-place honors. Let’s take a look at the races to watch.

Briggs 206 Cadet
With three wins and a 35-point lead going into the Season Finale, Samson Plourde has earned a virtual lock on the Briggs 206 Cadet Championship. The same can’t be said for Ryan Rollins’ hold on second place. Last year’s Cadet champion, Jackson Blanchard, is only 7.5 points back. Can he pull off another last-race upset?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Briggs 206 Junior
Trevor King won every race this season but the first, where he finished 2nd. It is an impressive performance given his 6th-place finish last season. Clearly he has figured some things out, but so has his competition. 206 Junior rookie Jake Malone scored seven podiums, including a win. However, despite that impressive consistency, Wyatt Burns sits a mere 12.5 points back thanks to his six podiums. It’s gonna be fun to watch these three have at it at the Season Finale and for years to come.
 
 
 

Briggs 206 Senior
There was such an explosion of competition in 206 Senior this year that we had to create another class to relieve some of the pressure. This reduced the on-track headcount but not the intensity of the competition. In his first year as in Seniors after winning last year’s Junior championship, William Tyler and his one win go into the Finale with a scant 2.5-point lead. Benjamin Safar, who has two wins and made huge performance gains over last year, sits comfortably ahead of perennial front-runner Caleb Jarvis-Comi. Just when you thought this bubbling stew has hit its boiling point, Cooper Rittich could spice things up. While he’s missed too many races to be a factor at the top of the points, he has attended four races and won three of them. Whether he appears on the grid or not, Briggs 206 Junior is absolutely a race to watch!
 

Briggs 206 Medium
Tom Rosenfeld, who has a virtual lock on the championship with four wins in six races, never seems to get any older. Meanwhile, his competition is most certainly getting younger. Brian Wilkinson, last season’s 206 Junior runner-up, scored a win and was only off the podium once. He has a scant 2.5-point lead over Christian Flagg, who also earned a win plus four 2nd-place finishes.
 
 
 

Briggs 206 Masters
With five wins and a 2nd, Tom Rosenfeld has dominated his way to his second consecutive Briggs 206 Masters championship. Meanwhile, Doug Hutchinson (five podiums, including two wins) and Jonathan Gomes (4 podiums) are having a nice little scrape for the second step with only 17.5 points between them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

TaG Senior
It’s only his first year racing at the senior level, and Brian Wilkinson is making his presence known at the front. In 206 Medium, he’s been nipping at Tom Rosenfeld’s heels all season. In TaG Senior he has earned three wins and two 2nds for a fairly solid 27.5-point lead. Long-time racer Bryce Czuba’s win and four podiums have given him a 12.5-point edge on last year’s champ, Alex “Axel” Gomes, who has a win and hasn’t finished off the podium, but missed out on Kartmania qualifying points. These three have put on a great show all season, so you should expect nothing less at the Season Finale.
 
 

TaG Masters
When last season’s champ, Tom Prioli, stepped away from TaG Masters to serve as the club’s Assistant Race Director, the rest of the Masters class took one big step forward. Robert Bain’s two wins and string of three 2nds have given the TaG veteran 47.5-point lock on the 2024 championship. Alan Pope is in position to upgrade last season’s third-place trophy, but he’ll need to hold off a hard-charging Rich Blanchard who is looking to end the year with his third win in a row. This will be fun to watch.
 
 
 
 

World Formula Light
For us lovers of racing, World Formula Light is a gift that keeps on giving. Fast and steady Kyle Callahan was on the podium every race this year, including three visits to the top step. As you’d expect with winning nearly half the races, he is the leader coming into the Finale. What you wouldn’t expect is that lead to be a tiny 7.5 points! William Dziuba also has three wins, but all his have come in the last three races – a real hot streak! But this being World Formula Light, all that on-track performance and consistency have only given him a 10-point edge for 2nd-place. Ryan Archambault has one win and only finished off the podium once. He may be in third place, but only 18 points away from his third championship in a row. THIS will be a race to watch!

World Formula Heavy
“Fast” Freddie Fawcett is back on top… or at least he will be if he gets through the last race cleanly. That seems highly likely seeing as Vinny’s dad has won three of the last four races. That said, stuff can happen to make a 32.5-point lead seem pretty narrow. This is especially true when the guy behind you, Jim Slade, hasn’t been off the podium since Race 3 and really doesn’t want to finish another championship campaign in 2nd place for the second year in a row. Jeff Gutterson, lurking 21.5 points behind, would be more than happy to relieve Slade of 2nd place.
 
 
 

Huge Thanks to Photographer/Racer Ken Repke
For another season Ken has found creative ways to capture the essence of each event while making us all look cool and quick. The value he brings to the club as a whole and each racer’s experience cannot be overstated, and should never be taken for granted. Please show Ken your appreciation for his hard work by visiting www.kenrepke.zenfolio.com and purchasing hi-res downloads or high-quality prints. Thanks!

The Race 8 Season Finale is Almost Here!

It seems not that long ago we couldn’t wait to get the season going, now here we are winding it down. Registration for Race 8 closes on Tuesday, Oct 1 at 11:59pm. If you haven’t done so yet, there’s no time like right freakin’ now! www.bikereg.com/nhka

We will be on Track 2 clockwise with the chicane. Track 2 is to the right of the paddock and uses the same infield section we use for Track 1. It is about double the length of Track 1. As always, Kid Karts will use the kart track.

IMPORTANT: The drivers meeting on Oct. 5 will be mandatory for all in attendance – drivers, mechanics, family, and guests. If you bring anyone with you, they must attend the drivers meeting.

Remember that the banquet is on November 16 at the White Birch Function Hall in Hudson, NH. We will announce further details the week after the race. Also, check out www.canaanmotorclub.com for the 2025 NHKA schedule.

Registration is Open for the Season Finale!

It’s time for the big one. The finale of all the finals. Where championships will be decided. The Race 8 Season Finale is October 5th at Canaan Motor Club. Make sure you register soon, the deadline is October 1 at 11:59pm. www.bikereg.com/nhka

If the clean, tight racing we saw in so many classes at the last event was any indication, the 2024 Season Finale is going to be incredibly competitive. Stay tuned to the NHKA website for the latest event updates and the annual Races to Watch feature story. But first…

A word about what makes this club what it is. That word is “you.” While we are incredibly grateful for your support and proud to earn it, what you put into this club goes way, way beyond a simple fee-for-service transaction.

You all invest so much inspiring passion, which escalates the competition and elevates everyone’s experience. You all commit so many days at the track and nights in the garage, plus equipment, tools, and haulers. Some of you have even invested in businesses that serve karters here and beyond. You all invest so much of yourselves into this community. You bring your friends, family, and extended family. You bring your guitars, your best recipes, your favorite drinks, and your damn funny stories. What you get back is friendship, generosity, and belonging. Not to mention you get to pursue the coolest hobby ever.

Many of you recognize just how rare and valuable this thing we share is and how deeply you’re invested, so you put in the work to preserve it. You take personal responsibility for the club as a whole – not just yourself. You’re first with your hand up to volunteer, you clean your pit area and grab any other trash you see, you keep your emotions in check because you like that there’s a high expectation for respectful behavior. You never forget how incredibly fortunate we are to have Canaan.

We have a very, very good thing. It took each of you to make it this way, and it’ll take each of you to keep it this way. So let’s do that!

Who Else is Excited for Race 7 this Saturday?

Registrations are in. Race control is ready. The weather looks great. Everything is in place for an awesome day of racing counterclockwise on Half-Track 1. Thank you for being part of the fun. First, a few reminders…

Trash: Please do not leave behind any fuel cans, tires, wrecked canopies, or other large trash when you leave – take them home. The track’s dumpster company does not accept these items. Also, please pick up around your pit area and any trash you see beyond it. There is no clean-up staff at the track aside from Dave. The property is clean when we arrive so it should be at least that clean when we go. This has been the NHKA’s reputation with the track, and why we are invited back every season. Each of us must take personal responsibility for the care of the property to maintain our good standing so we can continue racing at this fantastic facility.

Porta Potties: Please, do not toss trash such as water bottles or anything else not related to their clear purpose into the porta potties. This can damage or clog the pump truck. As for the bathroom in the building, we have had no issues since reserving it for the ladies, so we will continue with that arrangement.

On Friday the gate will be open 5-8pm. No late arrivals. Saturday morning the gate will reopen at 6:30am and close at 12pm. Please ask any guests to arrive before noon. All guests should be parking along the rope near the gatehouse (or in the field across the access road) and walking into the pit area.

Friday Night
5-8pm Pit pass sales, driver check-in, trailer drop off, camping setup, kart safety inspections.

Saturday Morning
6:30am-Noon Gate opens. Pit pass sales, driver check-in, kart safety inspections. No parking on the street if you are early.
8:15am Drivers meeting.
8:45am Kid Karts on track.
9:00am Practice by groups.
Two rounds of practice by groups
One round of qualifying.
Lunch break.
Racing in the afternoon.

Practice and Race Order
1 Kid Karts Kid Karts will run their final before the lunch break.
2 206 Cadet
3 206 Medium
4 206 Junior
5 TaG Masters
6 World Formula
7 TaG Senior / DD2
8 206 Masters
9 206 Senior

Registration Open for Race 7

Finally!!! Amazing weather all weekend for our doubleheader. We had lots of fun spending time with you all. Thank you!!!

Race 7 is right around the corner on September 14 and registration is open at www.bikereg.com/nhka. Track layout and race details will be announced shortly.

Trash Reminder: There was a broken canopy and an empty fuel can left at the track’s dumpster. The trash company will not accept either of those things or tires – you must take them with you. Also, please clean up your pit areas. This includes zip ties, cigarette butts, bits of paper and tape, but most especially sharp things like safety wire and bottle caps. Other clubs work on their cars and motorcycles in the same paddock we do, but on the ground. Not one of you would ever want to cause a flat that costs someone a race or a wreck. So please, take a few minutes before you head home to pick up around your pit area. Thank you.

Final Update for the Race 5 & 6 Doubleheader

Everything is ready to go!!! Are You??? 120 entrants will compete on each day. A solid field once again. Thank you all!!!!!! OH, and the weather looks fantastic!!!

As mentioned before, we will only allow tow vehicles in the paddock area. We mean the vehicle that pulled your trailer or the pickup truck, van, or station wagon that you used to get your kart to the track. If you have guests in a separate vehicle it will need to be parked out near the booth. We will reconfigure the cones blocking off the grid and pit-in to ensure no vehicles can get near those areas at any time. 

Everyone seemed to like the F1-style starts. We will be doing more of that.

Friday Night
5pm: Gate open for check-in, pit pass sales, trailer drop off, pit set up, camping, and kart safety inspections. Camping is $25 for the weekend.
8pm: Gate closes. No entry after 8pm. 

Saturday
6:30am-12pm: Gate open. As always, do not park on the street if you are early. No pit pass sales or entry after.
8:15am: Mandatory drivers meeting. 
8:45am: Kid Karts on track. (Saturday only.)
9:00am: Group practice.
Two rounds of practice, then a five minute qualifying session. 2nd practice session timed to set starting order for qualifying. 
Lunch break.
Final races in the afternoon.
5pm-8pm: Gate open for Sunday-only entrants.

Sunday
6:30am-12pm: Gate open. 
8:15am: Drivers meeting.
9:00am:  Group practice.
Two rounds of practice and one qualifying session–same as Saturday. 
Lunch break. 
Finals in the afternoon. 

Group Order
1    Kid Karts (Saturday Only)
2    206 Cadet
3   206 Medium
4   206 Junior
5   TaG Masters
6   World Formula
7   TaG Senior / DD2
8   206 Masters
9   206 Senior
Subject to change.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone for two beautiful days of racing fun!!!!

UPDATE: Race 5 & 6 Doubleheader

Race 5 and 6, our last doubleheader weekend of the season, is only a week away. That means the registration deadline is this Tuesday August 20 at 11:59pm. Don’t forget!!! Get yourself over to www.bikereg.com/nhka now!

You’ll see categories for two-day and Sunday-only registrations. If you are racing on Saturday only, please do this: (1) Register for your class in the Sunday-only category. (2) Shoot a quick note to [email protected] so we know to switch your Sunday-only registration to Saturday-only.

We will use Half Track 1 both days, clockwise Saturday and counterclockwise Sunday. The race format for both days will be back to the usual two rounds of group practice in the morning followed immediately by a five-minute qualifying session, lunch break, then a final race in the afternoon.

BTW, the forecast looks perfect. We say this knowing we’re still a week out, but it’s a good story so we’re sticking to it.

Thank You for Making Kartmania 8 So Much Fun!

Thank you to all who attended Kartmania and joined us for the cookout – especially everyone who donated delicious side dishes, desserts, and watermelon.

We’re fortunate to be at Canaan Motor Club with its smart, flexible layout. We were able to change up the course to suit the conditions and keep racing. We’ll take that any day over standing around looking at the sky hoping to race. Yes, it’s a ton of extra work, particularly for the drivers and mechanics making wholesale on-the-fly set-up changes. As always, we appreciate everyone’s efforts and cooperation to keep things moving.

Update on the injured driver: He is doing OK. He came back to the track before the racing was complete and was in good spirits. He has some minor injuries but will make a quick recovery.

Ready to do it again? Registration for the Race 5/6 weekend August 24/25 is open at www.bikereg.com/NHKA